Double win for Amandine in France, Top eight for Eddie in Italy

Reigning French Champion, Amandine Verstappen didn’t miss another opportunity to put again her 9MM Energy Drink Bud Racing Kawasaki on the top of the box in the opening round of the 2022 French Championship at St Eloi. In Italy for the European Championship, Eddie Wade and Quentin Prugnières have not really been rewarded for their efforts, even if Eddie signs an encouraging top eight.

Amandine had always enjoyed the track at St Eloi, and once more there was no rival to stop her. She had a perfect day with the pole position, two holeshots and two heat wins, and things couldn’t be better before the next round of the World Championship next weekend at Riola Sardo.

There in Sardinia she will share the Bud awning with Eddie Wade and Quentin Prugnières, who were in Italy for the EMX250.

Saturday the track was dry for the first moto, but both struggle at the start as Eddie staled his engine while Quentin was involved in a huge pile up in the first corner. Back from thirtieth to twelfth, Quentin did a strong comeback while Eddie finish thirteenth. Sunday the track was muddy after heavy rain in the night, and the track was challenging; Eddie got a great start and did a strong race to finish sixth, while Quentin had again to come back from behind as another rider hit him at the start. He was back in tenth position when he received a stone in an eye, and lost some positions. Both have the speed for podium results, they just need some luck in the first meters of the races!

Amandine: “Lately I’ve been training mainly in the sand to prepare for the World Championship in Sardinia, so I didn’t had a good feeling during the practice sessions but I posted the best time. I grabbed both holeshots and won the two motos, I had fun on the bike, so it’s good for my mental and it’s been a good training session before being back to the GP’s next weekend.”

Quentin: “In the first heat there was a big crash at the start, I left far behind and I’m quite happy with the ride. I did well at the start of the second moto, but I got hit at the first corner. I rode well until I had to take off the mud-stained goggles, I couldn’t breathe properly with the weight of the mud on the helmet. I went up ten and was attacking the ninth when I took a pebble in the eye which forced me to stop for a moment. It’s frustrating to work so hard and not be rewarded, but there is still a lot of racing and we are not giving up, especially since the lap times were very good.”

Eddie: “Overall it was a pretty good weekend, going in the right direction and I was very happy with the qualifying session. First race I made a stupid mistake in the first corner, I staled the bike, not really happy about it. Then I came back in the top ten but after a small crash I lost a few positions to finish thirteenth. Second moto I had a very good start, we work on this but during the first lap I was very slow, I don’t really know why and we have to work on it. I had a good rhythm but did little mistakes and a few guys passed me, then I had to take my goggles off, and again I ride well until the end but it was too late.”

French Elite Championship Quentin fights for podiums

After the muddy round at Gueugnon, team 9MM Energy Drink Bud Racing Kawasaki was happy to find good weather at Castelnau de Levis in Southern France. It was a good round for our riders who perform well; Quentin end the day tight in the points for a podium spot, while Eddie did his best race since he joins the team.

Castelnau de Levis is a real Southern French track, and if it was not a novelty for Quentin it was another story for Eddie who discovered this typical layout. Third rider in the timed practice period, Quentin got twice a good start and nearly missed the holeshot in the second moto; with two good starts he battles twice for podium results. He got it in the first race with a third, and finishes fourth in the second one to end the event tight in the points for the third position overall; he was classified fourth, as his rival had a better result in race two (3/4 for Quentin and 4/3 for Teillet). Tenth in the practice session, Eddie had a poor start in the first moto but did a good race to come back tenth; in the top eight at the second start he did another strong race on this hard ground to finish sixth, his best result so far this season.

Next race for the team is the European Championship at Maggiora (Italy) in two weeks’ time.

Quentin Prugnières: “Of course disappointed to end so close to the podium. Among the positive points I nearly got the holeshot in the second moto, but we must continue to work as my riding could have been better after this great start.”

Eddie Wade: “A good day! First race I didn’t get a good start, rode very well to come back tenth. Second race a very good start behind my team mate, I just lost two positions but there’s a lot of positive to take from this weekend. This morning it was hard to get used to this track, as the grip was different from one section to another.”

Top Five for Amandine Verstappen

The Women World Championship and the European 250 were this weekend at the racing program of team 9MM Energy Drink Bud Racing Kawasaki, who was back to Agueda in Portugal. Despite a big crash during a practice session, Amandine Verstappen brings back home the best result for the team with a top five position.

The red sand of this nice track doesn’t really offers to the team the results they could expect, four weeks after the opening round of both series. As the last GP organised on this track was in 2019, neither Quentin Prugnières or Eddie Wade knew this location and they both improve their results in each session to get the sixth (Eddie) and eleventh (Quentin) gate pick for the races. Back racing a few weeks after being injured at Mantova, Eddie got a great start in the first race and was third during the opening lap but couldn’t keep the rhythm and cross the finish line in sixteenth; on Sunday he had a better rhythm but an early crash relegates him in thirty seventh position, and he came back twentieth. Quentin had also a good start in the first race, but he crashed during the first lap; back from thirty sixth to twenty fourth after four laps he had another crash and finish twentieth. Sunday was a better day for him, as he got an eighth position.

After a huge crash on a triple jump during a practice session, Amandine Verstappen never give up and even if her body was sore she wanted to enter both races. Twice she got a start in the top twenty, to score a seventh and a sixth position; fifth of the overall, she remains in contention for the final podium as she is only five points from the third position.
No race for the team next week; the next races ill be the French Elite for the boys in two weeks’ time at Castelnau, while Amandine will enter the French women series on May 8th at St Eloi.

Quentin got a podium on track but lost it on the green carpet

Between two rounds of the 250 European Championship, Team 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki moves to Gueugnon to enter the second round of the French Elite championship. On the virtual podium of the MX2 class, Quentin Prugnières was penalized after a moto and finish at the bottom of this podium.

Gueugnon 2022 will remain in many memories for several reasons. The first one is of course linked to the weather, as incessant rain on Sunday afternoon destroyed the track and forced the riders to race in tough conditions. Recovering perfectly from thirteenth to fourth in the opening race, and then doing another strong come back from eighth to fourth, Quentin was the third man on track behind two GP riders, Tom Vialle and Stephen Rubini. This was on the track, but out of the track Quentin was penalised as his bike was over the noise limit after the race; despite the fact that it was raining – and everyone knows that rain affect the level of the sound – the technical staff gave him a penalty of five positions. Stephane Dasse’s arguments will be rejected by the jury, without even discussing about the process and the methods used to perform these measurements.

Still recovering from his injury due to the crash at the second start at Mantova one week ago, Eddie Wade was not in Gueugnon as the main goal is to see him fit at the next round of the European Championship in Portugal on April 2-3.

Quentin Prugnières: “Some positive points this weekend, but we also see some points that I will have to improve! In both races I did a strong comeback, even if at the start of the second race we touched each others with Tom Vialle. I made some good moves, then it took me some time to find my rhythm but I came back third which is positive. We will work on my start, to do even better in the next races.”

Amandine Verstappen close to the podium of the WMX Top nine for Quentin Prugnières in the European 250

Just one week after winning Le Touquet with Quentin Prugnières, team 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki was in Italy for the opening round of the Motocross season. Mantova met the first round of the Women World Championship and the European 250 Championship, two categories where our riders did pretty well.

Ladies first, with the strong racing weekend of Amandine Verstappen who finish so close to the podium at this first GP! Seventh behind the gate our multiple French champion had a good start in the first race, and did all the race in fourth position. Her second moto was more difficult as she collided with another girl; eleventh after this incident Amandine will come back fifth, missing the overall podium by two points.

Third of his group in the free and timed practice sessions, Quentin Prugnières shows a good speed and had a good position on the gate. His first start wasn’t really good, and he had to push hard to come back from nineteenth to eighth in this moto. On Sunday he will take a better start, and was fighting for the fourth position when he did a mistake on this rough track; another race start for him as he was twenty-one, but once more his speed was good enough to cross the finish line eleventh.

First race of the season and of course first one with team 9MM Bud Racing Kawasaki for Eddie Wade, fifteenth in his qualifying group. He was on the outside of the starting line, but got a good start in the top fifteen of race one; twelfth of his moto il was unfortunately involved in a crash at the start of the second race and was forced to retire later due to a painful leg.

Next weekend team 9MM Energy Drink BUD Racing Kawasaki will be in Gueugnon for the second round of the French Elite championship.

Amandine Verstappen: “It was a good weekend. I had a good feeling already during the free practice session but was more stressed in the timed practice period. In the first race I had a good start in third but during the first lap van de Ven went straight and I had to brake so I lost two positions. I was pleased with my speed as I came back to fourth. My second start wasn’t so bad but in the second straight line another girl hit me and again I had to brake; I was tenth or eleventh and came back fifth. I’m disappointed to miss the podium by just two points after two strong races. I feel much stronger physically as I have worked hard with my trainer all winter; he knows me really well and it was great to be back working with him.”